Why the Mahajanapadas were fortified ?
1) The rajas who performed big sacrifices were referred to as janapadas and some became more important than others. They were known as Mahajanapadas.
2) Most of these mahajanapadas had a capital city, which were mostly fortified.
3) By fortified we mean, huge walls of wood, brick, stone were built around the city to ban the access of strangers entering the city.
4) These forts were built mainly to avoid attacks from enemy kingdoms
5) They were built to show other rulers how rich and powerful they are as they have built large, tall and impressive walls around their cities
6) Also, in this way the people living inside the fortified area can be controlled easily by the king.